


Of Hearts and Tangerines

by IceAngels



Series: Tangerine Hearts [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Adoption, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante Lives, Family Fluff, LGBT characters, sometimes a family is just some gays and lesbians growing tangerines
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26201371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceAngels/pseuds/IceAngels
Summary: “It’s not going to be anything weird is it.”  Rocinante asks.Bell-mere took a drag on her cigarette and thought about the two little girls just on the other side of the wall. “No it’s not going to be anything weird.”“Okay.” Said Roci as she dragged him towards the door of the orphanage. “I think this counts as something weird.”AU where Bell-mere and Rocinante adopt Nojiko and Nami
Relationships: Bell-mère & Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante, Bell-mère & Nami & Nojiko, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Nami & Nojiko (One Piece), Nami & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Nami & Trafalgar D. Water Law & Nojiko
Series: Tangerine Hearts [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935169
Comments: 8
Kudos: 83





	1. Tangerines

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this tumblr post and its tags: evilhorses.tumblr.com/post/627710271791726592/onepiecehcs-while-i-agree-that-the

20 Years Before Present Day

Belle-mere looked down at the two little girls who had fallen asleep in her arms just half an hour ago. Nojiko’s hand was protectively gripping Nami’s arm. She couldn’t believe how protective she was of the little girl. And they were not even related by blood. She fiddled with the cigarette and matches in her hand considering whether or not to light them in the hospital.

“I’m going to adopt these kids.” Said

“What did you say?” Asked Genzo, adjusting his hat. “But you’re a marine!”

“I’ve made up my mind, I’m going to raise them.” She said, smiling down at Nami and Nojiko. She rubbed her thumb gently over the bandage on Nojiko’s head. Nami’s fever had finally gone down but she still had to stay in the hospital for one more night.

The little house with the tangerine farm she grew up in was likely in extreme disrepair. And she didn’t have blankets or pillows for the girls. Let alone food. She wanted to give them a proper home.

“I don’t want to leave them.” She admitted to Genzo.

“Are you really sure?” He asked.

She stroked Baby Nami’s hair. “Yes. I’m sure. I’m going to raise them to be good, strong people who can handle themselves even in this harsh world.” She looked up at Genzo. Sure that her words reminded her of when they were young kids. Ten and Eighteen. He had just lost his farther. She, her mother a year earlier. “I would do anything for these girls. Look at them, they’re so sweet! How could I not love them.”

Genzo leaned over the kids and she saw a small smile creep over his face at the sight.

The next morning Bell-mere walked back up to the hospital. A lit cigarette in her mouth and a small basket of tangerines in her hands. She had been surprised to see that the tangerines had managed to fruit this year even though they hadn’t been taken care of in a decade. Although she had a sneaking suspicion that Genzo had been trying his best to tend to them.

“What? You’re going to adopt them?” Asked Doctor Nako? “You?”

“Yes, me.” Said Bell-mere. “Where are they?”

“I…”

“Nako!” She yelled. “Where are Nojiko and Nami.”

“They’re at the orphanage. Dadidi and Mamimi came by earlier to pick them up.”

“You called them?” She gritted her teeth. “Those fools from the World Government Orphanage!”

“They’re perfectly fine people!” Protested Doctor Nako. “I had no idea of your intentions.”

“Perfectly fine people who let a nine year old live on their own because they knew I wouldn’t get adopted and didn’t want to spend the resources to take care of me!” Nako was rendered momentarily speechless. “I knew I shouldn’t have left their side.” Bell-mere seethed.

“I’m sorry Bell-mere.”

She pointed angrily at him. “You owe me a boat. I’m going to get them back.”

“You are an unmarried woman, we simply cannot let you adopt these children when there is a couple who wants to adopt them already. Children must be raised with a mother _and a father_.”

Belle-mere squinted at the short skinny man. She was about eye level with the top of his absurdly tall hat. She was a marine captain. She had sailed on the East Blue _and_ the Grand Line. She was more than capable of protecting two children. She was more than capable of raising them and loving them just us much as anyone else. On her own. The orphanage directors snide comment made her think that he might have heard a rumor about her being a lesbian. “I’m adopting these girls.” She asserted.

“You are not.” He said. “They’ll be much better taken care of in my orphanage. I _also_ heard you quit the marines. What kind of income are you expecting to raise these children on?”

“I’ve got my tangerine farm still.”

“Tangerines.” He sneered. “Do you have any experience taking care of children.”

“About as much as I would have if I have if I gave birth to them myself.”

“The girls will be taken care of here, me and Mamimi have _actual_ experience raising children.”

Bell-mere wanted to show him the _experience_ she had with a rifle, but she held her tongue instead of sharing. “At least let me see them.”

She stared him down.

He seemed like a weak willed man. “Let! Me! See! Them!”

“I guess it would okay for them to meet the person who saved their lives…briefly.”

In the small living room of the orphanage she crouched down beside Nami and Nojiko where they were sleeping and coloring with crayons respectively. “Hey girls, if I could, would you want to come live with me.” Nojiko’s face broke into a wide grin and she ran forward to hug her, nodding into her chest. Belle-mere kissed the top of her blue haired head.

“Nami too?” Asked Nojiko.

“Nami too.” There was no way she was letting these girls go so easily.

Leaving the room, she slammed her hand down on the counter to get his attention. “So you’re saying that if some couple walked in here tomorrow that they would be adopted.”

“Yes.” He said hesitantly. “Given that they were a good fit for the children.”

A good fit for him would be her fist and his face. She turned heel and walked around the back of the orphanage to smoke.

After a few moments she dialed her den den mushi to a number she hadn’t called in over a year.

There was a click. “Hey Roci, it’s me.”

There was a pause on the other end. “Belle-mere!” Rocinante just responded before a crash and the snails surprised face told her he had fallen again.

She laughed “Just as clumsy as ever?”

“…No. I’ve gotten over that.”

“Ah right, of course. Where are you this time of year?”

“……..”

“Roci?”

“…I’m visiting Garp-san.”

“Roci!” She yelled into the receiver. “You’re in East Blue and you didn’t even tell me.”

“No! Yes! I’m sorry!” He said. “It wasn’t really planned but Sengoku dragged me along, I promise I was going to call you afterwards.”

“I’m disappointed in you damn it.”

“Sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“Perfect, I can use this as a reason to extort you now.”

“What?” Yelped Roci.

“Yeah, you have to come visit me and you have to do what I say. Got it?”

“It’s not going to be anything weird is it.”

Bell-mere took a drag on her cigarette and thought about the two girls just on the other side of the wall. “No it’s not going to be anything weird.”

“Okay.” Said Roci as she dragged him towards the door of the orphanage. “I think this counts as something weird.”

“Well you already agreed.”

They walked in the door and stopped at the receptionist. “Orphanage director-san, I’m here to pick up the two girls I’m adopting, this is my fiancé. She picked up Rocinante’s arm and held it out for the director to shake. Roci’s jaw dropped open, his cigarette falling onto the counter. Bell-mere snatched it up. “You dropped your cigarette, _dear._ ” She said, taking a drag without offering it back.

“Yes, of course.” Said Rocinante. “It’s nice to meet you.”

The orphanage director looked between the too of them. “I see.” He said. “And you are intending to be married.”

“Oh yes.” Bell-mere bared her teeth at him in a cheeky grin. “Next year, it’s all planned out. How are Nami and Nojiko.”

“They are fine” He said. “However, I thought we already discussed, several times I might add, that they were to be adopted by another family.”

“Ah yes, because I was unsuitable to adopt them. I know, however, I think you’ll find that I meet all your requirements now. I have a house and a farm and a fiancé with a steady marine income and those two girls would love to live with me, just ask them.”

The orphanage director scowled at her.

“Also, I got here first, so if you let me adopt the kids they’ll be off your hands sooner.” That seemed to do the trick because the director started to shuffle the papers around his desk slowly before passing her two sets of adoption papers. One for Nami and the other for Nojiko.

Bell-mere took the papers and Rocinante cast a subtle Calm Zone over the two of them

“You’re adopting kids!?”

“Technically we’re adopting kids.”

“I’m only twenty!”

“So am I – by the way, Happy Birthday, sorry I didn’t call.”

“It’s no problem.”

“Oh good, however you didn’t call for my birthday either and I’m rather upset about it.” Bell-mere passed the papers bearing her fresh signature over to Roci. “Sign.”

He looked up at Bell-mere. Her face was more determined than he had ever seen before.

“You’re really set on this aren’t you.”

She smiled warmly. “Those two girls mean everything to me. I wouldn’t be here without them Roci. I- I was injured, I was prepared to die. I lost my purpose. The marines… I couldn’t be a part of them anymore. And then those two showed up. They were all alone, and so small. I can’t believe people are actually that small. I can’t believe that once upon a time I was that small. You know I didn’t grow up with my parents. I didn’t want that for them. To grow up all alone, struggling to survive in a war torn country. I couldn’t –“ Bell-mere choked up a little, wiping away a small tear. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do this, this is too much to ask, what was I thinking.”

Rocinante signs the papers and hands them back to her. He remembers him and his brother digging through the trash for something, anything, to eat. He thinks about how grateful he is that Sengoku brought him in. That someone cared enough to love him again. If there’s justice in this world this is it, he thinks.

“I think you’ll be a wonderful mother.”

She gapes down at the papers in her hands for a moment before launching herself forward and wrapping her arms around his waist in a big hug. “Thank you Roci.”

“Are we actually going to get married?”

“Do you want to?”

“I _am_ gay.”

Bell-mere rolled her eyes. “So am I, or did you forget. Getting married isn’t about to ruin our romantic prospects. However, it would allow you to take time off to spend with the kids.”

“The kids…” Rocinante muttered under his breath. “I didn’t agree to take care of them you know.”

“You’ll like them.” Bell-mere insisted.

Roci, did, in fact, like the kids. They were small and Nojiko loved to follow Bell-mere around the tangerine grove and loved when he would pick her up and put her on his shoulders like she was flying.

Nami was tiny, just a baby, but so cute. She would try to speak to them even though it still came out as strings of babble. She always laughed when he told her stories about him and Bell-mere as kids in the Marines. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a baby laugh as much as Nami.

Raising Nami and Nojiko was his first break from the Marines since he joined as a child. There were no marines in the Conomi Islands, and he didn’t expect to like it as much as he did, having never not been around Marines. Before, even when he was on leave, he was always at Marineford. Now he was around villagers, farmers, doctors, ordinary people. It was a good life. But then came the den-den mushi call that ended it.

One year after Rocinante moved to Cocoyashi Village, he is called back to Marine HQ, and then reassigned to the North Blue.


	2. Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cora, upon spotting Law: “Well, I’m already a dad, so…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Law and Cora make it off Minion Island because they never bump into Vergo and go to the East Blue. Ignore the plotholes.

Law’s using Cora’s hunting knife to cut the poison out of him as they sail along the peaceful waters of the East Blue. He can keep the blue operating sphere, his “room” as they’ve been calling it, up for about ten minutes now. When he spots an island approaching in the distance, he drops the room. “Cora theres an island!” He says. Cora turns around from where hes sitting towards the front of the boat.

His face blanches. “Law – gah - your arm!” Law looks down at his still detached arm.

“Oh sorry.” He says as he puts himself back together.

“I dunno if I’m ever going to get used to that.” Cora muttered.

“Is that the island we’re going to?”

“Yeah.” Cora leaned over with the map. “See here, these are the conomi islands, and this –“ He points to one of the islands. “Is where Cocoyashi village is.”

The island approaches quickly, and then Law is tying up the boat and stepping onto the dock. His first time on dry land in so long, he’s not used to not having a boat rocking under him. Cora-san goes to get out of the boat but trips over the line he just tied up and pinwheels backwards off the dock and into the water.

“Cora!” Law yelled, diving into the ocean after him. The moment he touches the water he realizes his mistake. All of his leftover energy drains out of him. He tries to move his arms to keep himself afloat but he just sinks. _Damn this devil fruit._ He thinks. We made it all the way to East Blue just to drown. He struggles to move again. If he could just – grab something a rope, maybe he could – theres a splash as someone dives into the water and a hand grabs the front of his shirt, tugging him back up to the air. He gasps for air as he gets tossed onto the dock.

A second later a woman with a magenta mohawk is dragging Cora san out of the water. “Jeez, Roci – I thought you knew better by now that to trip into the water. This is east blue, ya know. You’re lucky I was coming to see you, no one else would have thought you couldn’t swim. The lady stands up and peels off her socks.

“And that coat, that’s gotta be twice your weight soaked, stop wearing that- ah damn.” She fishes a pack of cigarettes out of her back pocket, compleately soaked. She throws them at Cora. “You get to buy me new ones.”

Cora pickes the cigarettes off his soaked chest and stands up, sheding the coat in a puddle on the dock. “Thank you Belle-mere.” He says, wrapping her in a hug.

“ugh youre soaked.” She says, wrapping her arms around his back anyways.

“So are you.” He says.

“Who’s this lady.” Law scowls weakly, his hat still dripping salt water onto his face.

Cora-san clears his throat awkwardly. “Well technically she’s my wife.” Belle-mere lets out a biting laugh and slaps his shoulder hard enough for him to fall over.

“Wife? Hahahaha –“ she picks him up off the floor by his collar despite his height over her. “Call me that again and I’ll throw you back into the ocean.”

“Okay, okay I yield, she’s… a childhood friend.”

“More like we were in the –“ She continues to speak but no sound comes out. Law’s eyes widen and he glances over at Cora who deactivates his power. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Touchy subject?” She asks Rocinante, really looking at the kid for the first time. He’s little, maybe Nojiko’s height. With light white spots on his skin. He has bags around his eyes like he hasn’t been sleeping well, or he’s sick.

“Hey kid what’s your name.”

He glares at her. “Law.” The kid has a mean glare.

“How old are you Law, nine?”

“Thirteen.”

“Well I’ve got two daughters, they’re seven and nine, so you get to be an older brother.”

Law glanced up at Rocinante confused. “They’re not my kids!” Said Rocinante, putting his hands up in defense.

“Well they’re your kids enough to help me take care of them.” She said. “Come on- let’s go home.”

Home. Thought Law. It had been so long since he had a real home. His months with Cora-san had reminded him that Spider Miles hadn’t been anything like a home. Home was gone, forever. He felt safe around Cora but that was it. This cozy looking home outside of the town at the edge of the tangerine grove would never be able replace what he used to have. 

The lady – Bell-mere, showed him a room with a bunkbed and an extra bed off to the side. There was also a small desk that had drawings on it and two books. Law picked up the one titled ‘Charting the East Blue.” It was old and worn, with a broken black spine and a few missing pages. He wondered if he could get some books on medicine. He had more or less stopped learning when he joined the Donquixote Family, focusing his efforts on learning swordfighting and martial arts and marksmanship. He picked up one of the papers, now realizing that what he thought was just boxes on a paper was probably a map.

“Hands off my maps, stranger.”

Law turned to see a little girl with bright orange hair brandishing a hairbrush in his direction. “And what if I don’t want to? You think you can beat a pirate with a hairbrush?”

The girl took a cautious step back. “Pirate-“ She whispered. Law smirked. She’d probably be even easier to scare than Baby 5. Her face changed to one of fury and determination and she yelled “Take that you filthy pirate!” and chucked the hairbrush straight at Law’s forehead.

The blow came with surprising force, or he was more tired from his surgery and dip in the ocean than he thought, and he stumbled backwards onto the ground. “Ah Fuck.” He said rubbing his forehead.

“Law – are you okay?” Asked Bell-mere, peeking in the doorway. “Oh Nami, I see you’ve met your new brother.”

“Brother?” They echoed in confused unison.

“No he’s no! He’s a pirate who broke into our house and is trying to steal my maps!”

“Hey! Why would I want your maps! They’re shit maps, you’re supposed to be able to tell what a map is of you know.”

“I’m not finished with it! When I’m done it’ll look like a real map of the village!”

Bell-mere chuckled. “I guess you two are getting along already.”

The two kids objected loudly.

It was late. The kids were asleep. Or maybe just quiet. Law had complained about sharing a room with the girls, but there wasn’t much bite behind it. Roci knew he was used to sleeping in far worse places than a soft bed in a room he had to share with two younger strangers. He was surprised at how much they had grown. It hadn’t felt like he had been away for so long until Nami was walking and talking and antagonizing Law and Nojiko barely remembered him and would prefer to run off into the tangerine grove than talk to him. He felt out of place here. But…

“I’m leaving the marines.” Bell-mere paused.

“You? Leave the Marines? But you’ve always been a Marine. If this is because the kids –“

“No. Well, kind of.” Rocinante took a deep breath. “That devil fruit Law has, I kind of stole it?”

“From some pirates?”

Roci winced. “Yes, technically.”

“Technically, haha, what did you steal it from a Warlord or something?” Bell-mere laughed before spotting the pale expression on Roci’s face. She sighed. “Just tell me what happened. I may have been a marine at one point but I’m retired, I’m not going to turn you in. Besides, it’s not like I’ve always had the strongest sense of Justice. I was such a hell-raiser as a kid.”

“And as a marine. How many times did you go against orders and then blame me for it?” Rocinante starts to relax.

“Haha, I’ve lost count, of course I’d blame it on you! With your dad so high up you could never get in trouble.”

“I would get in trouble _with_ my dad! That’s worse!”

They laughed for a bit more and Rocinante put out his cigarette.

“The marines were going to buy Law’s fruit, from some pirates. For a lot of money. I think it was under the order of the world government. Maybe the Celestial Dragons, I don’t know. But I stole it from the pirates before they could even get their hands on it, and I fed it to Law. He would have died without it. That disease- I- what would you have done, if it was Nojiko, or Nami.”

Bell-mere watched him. “Probably the same thing. I don’t know what I wouldn’t do for those girls. So, what are you going to tell your dad.”

Rocinante knocked his head on the table. “I don’t want to tell him. He’s going to be so disappointed in me. And I can’t lie to him.”

She shrugged. “So don’t.”

“Dad _will_ arrest me. Probably. Or he’ll arrest Law, which is worse. I don’t want to risk it.”

“Tell him you want to retire to raise the kids, that being undercover was too much and you want to leave the marines. And don’t mention Law, or tell him he’s dead.”

“I just said I can’t lie to him.”

“Okay – call him, if he asks about Law give the phone to me. I really don’t mind lying to your dad for you. Again, I might add.”

“Again, I am eternally grateful for that.” Rocinante reached over and grabbed the den-den mushi and a cigarette from their shared pack. He held it out for Bell-mere to light before dialing.

* * *

“Why are we setting up a grave? Did someone die?” Nami looked around to double check everyone she cared about was still standing around them. She was holding Nojiko’s hand.

“I guess you could say that it’s for the people we used to be.” Said Rocinante.

“Ha that’s very poetic Roci” She turned to the girls. “It’s to trick everyone into thinking Law is dead.”

Law frowned at that. But didn’t comment as Bell-mere hammed the cross into the ground. There was no name on it. No one cried. No one was burring anything real. The ground was disturbed in a fraudulent matter. And then they all went home.

Law snuck out that night. Walked up the hill that overlooked the sea and the harbor to the new marker at the top.

He stared at the grave. His grave, he supposed. Or for the person he used to be. Perhaps it was for the person he was before the World Government exterminated his city. Perhaps it could be a memorial for the people of Flevance. For his sister, his mother, his father, his classmates and teachers. They never got graves.

Law took off his hat and sat down next to the grave. He didn’t have anything to offer up. Maybe next time he would bring flowers to his own grave. The sea beyond the cliff was dark. He could hear it crashing against the shore. See the reflection of the half moon on the waves. He was so far from where he started. Maybe a little lost, in this eastern sea. But he was still going to be a pirate. He was going to make the world government pay.

* * *

Smoke rises from the top of the small smokestack, Bell-mere’s cooking. Chicken in her special tangerine sauce. She looks out the window. Rocinante’s picking tangerines with Nojiko cautiously following to help. She hears a yell as Law sprints out of the Tangerine grove followed by Nami. He skids to a stop in front of Roci, yelling something at him, panting to catch his breath. A month ago, he couldn’t even run that far. Nami catches up and snatches the hat off his head before sprinting away. Law yells again before running after her.

“Nice to see their getting along.” She jokes, turning back to the stove with a smile on her face. She’s getting used to their lovely little family already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my super self indulgent really specific AU! I’m totally going to write a few one shots set after this (somebody has to expand the Law&Nami&Nojiko page am I right?) but this story is pretty much complete.

**Author's Note:**

> I spent way too long trying to figure out how old everyone is at each point in this story  
> Next chapter is probably going to be longer, I'm not quite done


End file.
